Chemistry Update (Electromagnetic Energy)

New Topics

We just finished learning Chemistry Standard 7.1 which talks about nuclear energy. We learned about three different processes that take place; however, they have one thing in common. Nuclear decay includes alpha and beta decay. In alpha decay, the alpha particle (particle that is being emitted) is an atom of helium, whereas in beta decay, the beta particle (particle emitted in beta decay) is an atom of electron. You lose an atom of electron while an atom of neutron becomes a proton. Nuclear fission is the process of splitting an atom into two or more atoms, and this process usually causes a chain reaction. If the chain reaction is uncontrolled, then it causes what is known as a nuclear meltdown. Fission also takes place in nuclear reactors. Nuclear fusion is the opposite of fission; it is the process where you combine two or more elements to make other elements and possibly synthetic elements. This process usually takes place in the Sun. Even though there are a lot of differences in decay, fusion and fission, they all release some form of gamma radiation (made of pure electromagnetic energy). 

Electromagnetic Energy

Also, we are moving on the objective 3.2 (The Bohr Model). We have to observe that electrons and photons (light) are dual-nature. This means that they both act like waves and particles. Photons is a new term that refers to the particles of light, and of course, they travel at the speed of light. We also learned that everything emits electromagnetic waves. Types of electromagnetic waves include radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light, UV rays, X-rays, and gamma rays. We learned that every electromagnetic wave has a certain wavelength and frequency. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency, and the higher the energy the electromagnetic wave has. The longer the wavelength, the lower the frequency, and the energy becomes less. We also have to use reference tables to determine which type of electromagnetic wave is the weakest and which is the strongest with most energy. Radio waves are the weakest because their wavelength is very long, and gamma rays are the strongest because they have the shortest wavelengths. Frequency refers to the number of crests of waves of the same wavelength that passes a point in one second.  We also learned that purple is the strongest color in visible light that has the shortest wavelength, and red is the weakest color in visible light because it has the longest wavelength. Also, the shorter the wavelength, the higher the proton frequency and proton energy. 

This chart shows that the larger the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave, the less energy and the less frequency it has.
Link: http://www.overidon.com/2010/06/invisibility-and-energy-frequency-and-wavelength/